South Africa - “We Need Our Land Back And We’re Going To Take It By Force”

Loyal readers of thegoldwater.com know that there is a movement (known as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a small, radical party which advocates the nationalisation of all land) within South Africa causing some of the population to reclaim the land owned by white farmers without any apparent government interference.

After Australia brought the events to light when it’s Home Affairs Minister Mr Peter Dutton offered a fastened visa application for all South African white farmers wishing to apply for Australian nationality, the matter was brought to the world press.

The country's new President Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced the ousted Mr Jacob Zuma, claims that the land dispossession of the black majority during the apartheid era of the 20th century is, in fact, his country’s “original sin", and in order to please his voting base, he promised the black farmers to accelerate land reform, focusing first and foremost on unused urban land.

According to the latest statistics available, 10% of commercial farmland was redistributed through land reform programs, with most of the land still in the hand of the white farmers, which are a clear minority.

However, the members of the EFF understood that President Ramaphosa needs their support and therefore they are growing ever louder in their protest against the slowness of the land reform programs.

During an EFF demonstration earlier this week, one of the female protesters made it very clear where they stand: "Africa is for black people. Period. We need our land back and we're going to take it by force."

The words being used are not that surprising given that even the government-backed ANC ministers have now started using similar rhetoric.

Land Reform Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane claimed that the procedure used would be "legally expropriating, not land-grabbing."

"We should take the land… using legal processes. But quick, and not being told, 'Go there, don't go there.’ It should no longer be about willing buyer, willing seller only. It should be about the willingness to share the land. And it should happen now."

Professor Ruth Hall is South Africa’s expert on land reform and is criticizing the government’s handling of the issue: "This could be a turning point for South Africa. I think politically this is a moment of enormous opportunity."

"For 20 years the state had a mandate for land reform and failed to do so. President Jacob Zuma rolled back the land reform programme. Almost no land was transferred in recent years. Now business and government are coming together. There's actually quite a lot of goodwill."

yes we want ou land back but what are we going to do with it,besides white people helps southa fricans with farming .only few black people have got knowladge more about farming ;our country is held with farming by white people if we take the land away from them ,they will run away our economy will fall apart.